


Separation Anxiety

by Revasnaslan



Series: Out of the Depths AU [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Baby Galra, Background Antok/OC, Cultural Differences, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, Mer Galra, Worldbuilding, language barriers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14678654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: First rule: never get between a Galra and their pups.





	Separation Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set _during_ the fourth chapter of [Out of the Depths](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12933978/chapters/29558451). Initially I just wanted to write a scene where Shiro accidentally gets between an adult Galra and their pups... but then it kind of spun out of control and here we are (:
> 
> Also the summary is courtesy of my friend, aretia <3

Since they had arrived at the Marmora Bay Marine Institute, Shiro had been keeping an active eye on the Galra that had been found, caught in a old net. His colleagues were still calling them ‘mermen’. Shiro had decided against correcting them, not wanting to reveal that he knew the whereabouts of more. An entire _pod_ of Galra lived out in the waters along the coast, although Shiro was only particularly to close to one of them, Ulaz.

He stood in front of the tank that held the older of the two Galra that had been caught. This Galra had been shedding scales at a _very_ rapid rate—a worrying rate even.

Shiro suspected that in part it was because of stress brought on by the sudden and drastic change in environment… and in part, it was because the other, younger Galra was this one’s pup. The resemblance between them was uncanny, as they shared the same medium purple fur on their upper bodies, with lighter stripes running along their ears, shoulders, and sides. The only difference between the two of them was the tails, as one had a tail similar to a black-tipped reef shark, while the other’s was similar to the much smaller epaulette shark. From what Ulaz had explained to him, pups didn’t fully separate themselves from their parents until they had taken on mates of their own.

Add the stress of not knowing where their pup was to being stuck in a far too small tank, and it was little wonder that the water of this Galra’s tank was becoming clouded with scales. What was worse, was Shiro’s colleagues still refused to put the two Galra back together. Shiro had tried, multiple times to get the Galra put in the same tank, insisting that it was highly unlikely that the parent would reject the pup. It might have even helped with the parent’s aggression.

Right now, it seemed the older Galra was sleeping in the back of the tank, curled up and hidden away amongst the thick, concealing plant life. It was where he spent most of their time now, only venturing out if there was food being offered. Shiro was at a loss about what he was supposed to do at this point. He had tried giving both of the Galra fish personally, rather than just throwing it into the tank. Ulaz hadn’t told him that giving fish was considered polite, but Shiro had pieced that tidbit together for himself, since Ulaz never showed up to one of their meetings _without_ a fish for Shiro. It was also possible that neither of these Galra spoke any English. Ulaz had barely been able to speak it when he and Shiro had first met, and most of his vocabulary seemed to have come from what he heard around the docks. Shiro didn’t know if there was any kind of written language that he’d be able to utilize either.

Shiro supposed that he could ask Ulaz, since his friend was always extremely helpful. But Shiro hadn’t seen Ulaz in almost a week and a half. Normally, they would run into each other around the docks or beach, if Shiro knew where to check. But recently, there hadn’t been any sign of Ulaz. Shiro knew that Ulaz didn’t migrate anymore, and was far too large to attract the attention of an opportunistic shark. Shiro assumed it was the time of day, as Galra were more active then.

So, during his lunch break, Shiro headed down to the beach. It was a rainy day, and Shiro’s feet slid on the rocks underfoot as he headed towards the cove where he knew Galra frequented. They were far more likely to be out now, when humans weren’t going to be visiting the beach. When he arrived at the cove, he didn’t see anyone. Soft rain pattered against the stones littering the beach, and a couple of crabs had ventured out, scuttling across the sand closer to where the small waves broke on shore. There were also clear tracks left by Galra who had dragged their tails through the sand. When Shiro approached the water, intending to call out in case Ulaz was nearby, he was immediately met by a growl as a Galra emerged from the water, half-pulling themselves up onto the sand. The Galra snarled, and Shiro took a couple of hasty steps back, to put some distance between them.

Then, Shiro heard the soft squeaking of pups.

Glancing back, Shiro noticed two pups, sitting in the loose sand behind him, absolutely covered in the stuff as it clung to their still damp fur. Both stared at him with wide, bright yellow eyes that glowed in the shadow of the bush they were hiding under. One was clutching a dead crab in their small hands. They looked _very_ similar to the growling Galra in front of him—dark bluish-purple fur, near black tear trails running down their cheeks, and dark, barely noticeable spots dotting their fur. The pups were far fluffier, though, and had small flashes of white on their chests and dark stripes running down their spines that tapered off into more spots on their seal-like tails.

It took all of two seconds for Shiro to realize he had gotten between a parent and their pups.

The Galra snarled again, tail fin slapping against the surface of the water—perhaps as a threat display?—as they bared their teeth at Shiro. The bioluminescent markings on their cheeks and chest flared up as well. However, their ears were pinned back, eyes wide and fearful, as if they were worried that Shiro was going to do something to the pups.

It was a reaction not unlike the older Galra back at the Institute.

“I’m not going to hurt them,” Shiro said calmly, holding up his hands as a sign of surrender. He wasn’t even going to try reasoning with this Galra, knowing that it was foolish to assume that every Galra was going to trust him like Ulaz had come to over the past couple years. Shiro spared a glance back at the pups again and found that they had shrunk back completely, appearing as terrified as their parent was. Given how violently their parent was reacting, they had probably realized the ‘severity’ of the situation. Their squeaks were beginning to sound more like pitiful whines.

Before Shiro could say anything else, he heard a low, rumbling growl coming from the water. Out of the water rose one of the largest Galra that he had ever seen. Perhaps if he hadn’t met this particular Galra before, he would’ve been more scared.

“Hi, Antok,” he said, trying his luck.

Shiro’s shoulders sagged in relief as when it seemed that Antok recognized him too. His ears relaxed against the sides of his head, even though his scowl remained in place. Carefully, Antok peered around Shiro and let out a chirp that was surprisingly soft given his size. The pups hesitated, glancing nervously at Shiro, as they would have to move right past him to get back to the safety of the water. When Antok chirped again, even softer this time, the pups left the safety of the bushes, hurrying across the pebbles and sand. In a way, they almost reminded Shiro of baby turtles that were just leaving the nest.

Both pups paused just shy of where the waves broke on the shore, next to their parent—who was Antok’s mate, presumably. The pups were clearly Antok’s, judging by the flash of white Antok had on his chest, and the shape of his ears, which the pups shared. Up until this point, Shiro hadn’t realized the sheer range of sizes that Galra could be. It looked like Antok’s mate was only half his size, where the pups were downright _tiny_ compared to him. Perhaps only two or three feet long from head to tail tip.

Antok’s mate let out a soft trill before they slipped back into the water. The pups followed, snuggling into their arms when they were offered. Immediately, soft purring erupted from all three of them as Antok’s mate started grooming one of the pups, licking firmly between their ears. For the moment, Shiro was ignored as Antok peered over his mate’s shoulder to check on the pups, nudging one of them with his nose. The pup chirped happily, butting their forehead against Antok’s nose bridge, and earning a deep purr and smile in return from Antok.

Only once he was sure his mate and pups were situated did Antok turn his gaze back to Shiro.

“What?” Antok said, tilting his head to the side.

“You’re… you’re Ulaz’s friend, right?” Shiro asked hopefully.

Antok’s ears twitched at the sound of Ulaz’s name. He also appeared to recognize the word _friend_ judging by how his brow creased. His ears twitched against the sides of his head and he nodded once.

“Have you seen him recently?” Shiro continued.

Antok gave him a look that made it clear if he knew how to respond, he would have spoken in the driest tone imaginable. His ears gave a couple amused twitches.

“Look, can you tell him that I want to talk to him, please?” Shiro said, trying to withhold his exasperation. “After sunset? When the sun goes down?”

For a moment, he wasn’t sure if Antok understood him, but then Antok let out a deep trill and nodded. Turning to his mate, Antok nudged their temple with his nose and motioned with his ears that they could leave. The pups eagerly climbed onto Antok’s back, clutching his thick fur in their tiny hands and chirping excitedly. Without any further acknowledgment towards Shiro, Antok and his mate disappeared back beneath the waves, with their pups in tow.

—

Once Shiro returned from the beach, he checked on the older Galra, lingering in front of the tank. As usual, the Galra was largely unresponsive, curled up with his back to the outside of the tank. For a moment, Shiro assumed that he was sleeping, but then there was a soft trill from elsewhere in the aquarium. The sound reminded Shiro of the sound one of the pups had made earlier when the wanted Antok’s attention. The older Galra’s ear flicked, and their head shot up as he quickly responded to the call. Then, their ears drooped as he curled up in on themselves again.

Shiro really hoped that Ulaz would be able to help him with this when they met up later tonight.

Turning away from the tank, Shiro moved on to the room that held the younger Galra. He was surprised to find Pidge in there, standing in front of the glass. But then again, Pidge was the only person on the staff who hadn’t been snarled at by either of the Galra. Shiro had walked in on her and the older Galra engaged in staring contests multiple times over the last week—evidently she wasn’t considered to be much of a threat. The younger Galra on the other hand seemed to be fascinated by her.

Which was why it was of little surprise that the younger Galra was floating in front of her, staring at her with wide, glowing yellow eyes. Shiro watched as the Galra carefully raised their hand up to the glass, letting out a soft trill. Gingerly, Pidge copied them, raising her hand to rest hers in the same place. Her shoulders rose and fell shakily, as she must’ve been trying to keep from appearing too excited, at risk of startling the Galra in front of her.

“Pidge?”

At the sound of Shiro’s voice, the Galra bolted, disappearing back into the thick plant life at the back of the tank. Mild guilt settled in Shiro’s chest—he probably should have waited a little while longer before approaching, so that Pidge had her time to observe when the Galra was still willing to be seen.

With a heavy sigh, Pidge turned to face him. “Did you need something, Shiro?” she asked, not looking him in the eye as she quickly jotted down a couple of notes on her clipboard—probably observations, like her father had been asking her.

“Sorry,” Shiro said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to scare him off…”

“Yeah, well…” Pidge muttered. “He’s pretty skittish.”

_Most are_ , Shiro wanted to say. He knew from experience that Galra could be incredibly skittish, and that most interactions between them and humans had to be built on mutual trust. When he had first started meeting up with Ulaz, he had always been super careful not to overstep any bounds—and Ulaz was one of the more curious ones. While he wanted to explain that to Pidge, he held his tongue. He couldn’t say anything about the Galra inside of the Institute.

After all, as far as any of his colleagues knew, these Galra were the only two of their kind in the bay.

“I don’t know, he seemed really interested in you,” Shiro said, smiling as he looked back into the tank. He caught a flicker of bioluminescent markings from between the plants, but that was about it. “It must make observing him easier when he doesn’t hide all day.”

Pidge gave a noncommittal hum, but said nothing.

“You don’t seem… surprised that they exist,” Shiro continued, crossing his arms over his chest as his gaze moved back to her. He quirked a brow, tilting his head to the side.

Pidge frowned as she looked up from the clipboard. Her eyes had narrowed, staring at him skeptically. “Well, they _shouldn’t_ exist,” she said. Judging by the tightness in her voice, she was trying to remain nonchalant about it. “They’re supposed to be fairy tales.”

Shiro cracked a smile. “Fairy tales have to come from somewhere, right?”

Pidge snorted, glancing back at the tank as if she was hoping to catch another glimpse of the Galra. There was the briefest flash of the glow of his eyes from the plants, but otherwise, nothing. “I guess,” she finally said.

Shiro frowned at her lack of enthusiasm. Earlier, she had seemed more concerned about them and their wellbeing, more curious about how they behaved. Now, she just seemed a little drained—or was trying not to sound _too_ excited. “Have you seen one before?” he tried, sounding more impatient than he meant to.

“Maybe,” she said vaguely, eyes narrowing even further as she peered at him suspiciously. “Why, have _you_?”

Shiro shrugged. “Maybe,” he said, matching her tone perfectly. He was silent for a moment after that, debating what he should do. Pidge seemed to actually be interested in learning more about the Galra. He would have been risking a lot trusting her with this, but Shiro knew that she could remain tight-lipped about a secret if it was important enough. “Anyway,” he finally said. “I came to find you because I need your help with something tonight.”

He flinched at his own wording—because _that_ wasn’t super vague. Pidge’s suspicious glare didn’t help much either.

“With what, Shiro?” she asked. At the very least, she seemed a little bit intrigued.

“Just meeting up with a friend, if your up for it,” Shiro assured her. “I think you’d like meeting him… he can probably help with some of your research.”

Before Pidge could ask _what_ research he was referring to, Shiro motioned in the direction of the Galra’s tank, but he didn’t elaborate. He didn’t want to get her hopes up too much, especially if Ulaz didn’t end up showing up at all. Shiro knew it was expecting a lot, as this meeting was going to be pretty late, and Ulaz had a mate and pup to take into account.

He was thankful when Pidge agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> beta'd by: [aretia](https://fluffy-keef.tumblr.com/)


End file.
